09/26/11 Finding your true Identity week 3

\\Finding your true identity\\-Week 3

\\1.\\ Fitting in means nothing It means nothing because if you know God, then your life is set for you. There is no time to waste thinking about fitting in with the crowd. God always puts you in a situation where he wants you to be.  He gives you the people you need to encounter and befriend. He opens doors for you. SO why waste your time asking yourself where you need to fit in? Do you have a story about trying to fit in? where did it get you?

\\2.\\ Your body doesn’t define you How many of you have ever had that moment when you look at yourself and you’re like “man I wish I was skinnier, or more beautiful, or I wish I looked like her?” why? I know and I get the magazines and tv show unrealistic views of what men want or what you should look like, but don’t you think that because God created us he knew what he wanted in us, and how he wanted us to look. I’m pretty sure he didn’t make insecurity. He made us in HIS image to be someone who is confident in themselves. For example. What if you asked an artist if they could draw you a picture, and knowing their style of drawing and whatever, you intrust them with this so called picture, so then they spend hours, days, months creating this masterpiece for you with every confidence in the world, and then when they show you, you say “it isn’t good enough” God isn’t like that. He made you PERFECT in his eyes. He didn’t say “Oh ________ you’re pretty mediocre, I guess I screwed up your hair but whatever it’s good enough” no he spent time knitting you and giving you those eyes and feet and hair and all that. No one has the ability to get so under your skin about how you look. And honestly, even if they do, if you are confident enough in who God has created you to be, then no comment can hurt you because the only person who can judge you is GOD himself.

{Psalm 139:13-18}

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!

\\3.\\ You are the only person who can be YOU I’ve had times where I’m like “I wish I had what this person has, or I wish I could be like that person.” BUT I have realized that I can only be me, and right now ME is the only person I want to be. I don’t want to waste any more time worrying about who other people want me to be. I can’t waste any more time doing that. I have bigger fish to fry. I have better things to do. God things. I don’t want to be anyone else. I don’t want anyone else to be me.

{Jeremiah 29:11}

“For I know the plans I have for “ says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

\\4.\\ Be Bold about Christ this is a tough thing for people, because no one wants others to judge them. But in this case who cares. If you aren’t bold for Christ, where does your Christianity stand? Your actions do speak louder than words, so are the things you are doing reflecting things that would make you look like a Christian, or things that would make you look like a fool. Realistically speaking, I know its tough, but we are called to be messengers. How are we supposed to spread the word if we are huge chickens? I’m not saying stuff Christianity down peoples throat, but be open to tell people how much God loves them. It’s something we should all work on.

{Matthew 10:32-33}
Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.

09/19/11 Finding your Identity --week 2

\\Finding your true identity\\-Week 2

\\1.\\ You are what you eat . Surround yourself with good/God people. The people in you world are your biggest influences. Some of you may have friends that choose to do things that you aren’t into. I have friends like that too. BUT the more I separate myself from what they are doing, the better it is for me. Especially, in High school. Who are the people you are surrounding yourself with and why? What are you getting out of the friendship? If people are just bringing you down, then they don’t need to be in your life. You become who you surround yourself with. You become your own biggest influence.

{Jeremiah 15:19}
This is how the Lord responds: “If you return to me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve me.If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman. You must influence them; do not let them influence you!
{Ephesians 4:14}
Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.

\\2.\\ It’s your choice and you are worthy of it . I can just be talking and it can be going in one ear and out the other, but I know that one thing is true. It’s YOUR choice. You choose what you want to do with your own life. You choose who you love, hate, what you want to do, who you want to be with, what your passion is, and who you surround yourself with, and especially WHAT you surround yourself with. I can only be so much of an influence. I can only be there to hold your hand for a little while. One day you’re going to be faced with choices that I can’t make for you. That’s when you have to choose what you want. Your choices make you who you are. They shape you. They Mold you. If you think about the choices you make, you are never the same after you make them right? So why not choose to be who YOU want to be, not who I want you to be or who Becca or ANYONE wants you to be.

{Proverbs 2:11}
Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.

\\3.\\ A mistake is a learning opportunity because no one is perfect An awesome pastor named Jarrid Wilson tweeted the following today “Finding our identity starts with losing ourselves” basically saying, from making mistakes and learning from them. I make mistakes all the time, but there is grace for me and for you too. No one can judge you except God himself. NO ONE. I can’t, and I won’t because that’s not what I want our friendship/relationship to be. Also, be accountable to someone. Let them know if you screwed up. Don’t think that all people are going to judge you because of something stupid you did. Every mistake is an opportunity to learn something about yourself, and an opportunity to avoid the same situation again. Saying this though, isn’t a license to screw up continuously. Be a person who wants the best for your own life. Don’t be ashamed of things that have happened. If you are, you’ll live feeling like your good enough.

{James 3:2}
Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.

\\4.\\ If God didn’t think you could handle it, he wouldn’t have put you in that situation

a mask only lasts for a while. I know this feeling all too well. I still have moments when I feel like I have a mask on. pretty much whenever I’m disappointed I put on a mask that says “I’m fine, I don’t care, and even whatever” or even more in depth I put on a mask that says, “no one cares about me, so I’m going to pretend everything is ok” I know a lot of you guys have masks on right now. Needless to say, you know im right. You know that there’s only so much you can hide and bottle up before you explode. But think about it, all your past struggles, you’ve gotten through right. You’ve seen the ups and downs of situations, and that’s because like I said, If God didn’t think you could handle it, he wouldn’t have put you thru it. This is where you have to know who you want to become and what you want to see happen in your life, as a result of getting thru the tough stuff. {Where I see myself} Also, you have to have the mentality that once something happens, and its rough, you have to eventually let it go. Whether it be not being able to forgive or whatever. If you dwell on something that much, then it’s going to continuously bring you down, and you’re going to continuously hate everything in your life.

{1 Chronicles 21:13}
“I’m in a desperate situation!” David replied to Gad. “But let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great. Do not let me fall into human hands.”

09/12/11 Finding Your True Identity

//Finding your true identity//

\\1\\ Reflect on your past. all the things that have happened in your past, are obviously there for a reason. They are stories and experiences that came with choices that you had, that shape you to who you are. They are choices that come with a story that can be added to your testimony. These things show who you are. – Like I shared, I could have chosen to stay planted at church, or give into the pressures of the world after my parents got divorced. I chose the path that would lead me to eternal life with Jesus, because I knew that was what I should have done. It was a choice. It was MY choice.

{Ephesians 5:1-2} // {Philippians 3:8-9}

\\2\\ Good isn’t just for Sundays. Even though the culture tells you that it's enough to simply appear good, God calls you to actually be good. Going to church on a weekend lets say for wildfire and then going home and living an unfaithful life for the rest of the week isn't okay. Following God's guidance in some ways (being a good friend to others) but not in other ways (such as lying and gossiping) isn't enough. You need to ask God to take control of every area of your life - from your work to your relationships - and to transform you from the inside out. Then you'll have the power to live with integrity and grow into a truly good person - not just someone who tries hard to act the part.–we can’t live the hypocrite lifestyle

{Mark 4: 22} // {Mark 8:34-35}

\\3\\ Stop seeing church as a movie. Don't just consume our church's worship service like you would a movie, enjoying the emotional experience of it and then just moving on. Instead, invite God to encounter you in church and change your life as a result of that encounter. Open yourself up to all the possibilities of how God may choose to change you as you worship Him in church. LISTEN for God speaking to you, and act when He leads you. –God talks to you in the most random of, you need to let yourself be vulnerable.

{Mark 7:6-8}

\\4\\ View holiness accurately. Realize that holiness isn't about trying to achieve perfection, which is useless no matter how hard you may try. Holiness is about wholeness - growing into a relationship with God that allows you to be at peace with Him, yourself, and other people. Thanks to Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross, that relationship is possible right now, with all of your imperfections. If you trust Jesus, He will help constantly transform you, empowering you to grow more into the person God intends you to become. So let the fact that you can count on God to help you become more holy give you the confidence you need to pursue holiness. Unlike the culture's message that holiness is beyond your grasp, the reality is that you can become more holy every day. Keep in mind that each step away from holiness will cause you to lose more of your sense of self, but each step toward holiness will bring you closer to becoming who you really are - the person God meant you to be.

{Ephesians 3:16-21, 5:15-20}